Dance Redux
by elfluvr
Summary: COMPLETE Bobby vividly remembered their first dance – how responsive she was to his every move, his lightest touch. He also remembered her teasing touches and his heated confusion. Companion piece to Dance.


Title: **Dance Redux**

Author: elfluvr

Summary: Bobby vividly remembered their first dance – how responsive she was to his every move, his lightest touch. He also remembered her teasing touches and his heated confusion. Companion piece to "Dance."

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Dick Wolf, René Balcer and the actors who bring them to life. No harm intended, no money made.

Archive: Fanfiction - anywhere else, just ask

Feedback: Please! It's always welcome

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You can thank (or blame) Penn O'Hara for the kick in the butt to complete this.

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Chapter 1 - **Dance Redux**

_Maybe this wasn't such a good idea._

For probably the tenth time since they'd arrived, Bobby Goren wondered what had possessed him to think the Annual NYPD Fundraiser would be a good first date with Gina Sabatelli. To begin with, on an everyday basis a well-tailored suit and tie were comfortable for him, but tuxedos really weren't his thing.

Although he had to admit, Gina looked incredible. The forest green, full-length dress she wore was stunning with her auburn hair and peach-tone skin. As an added bonus, the fabric draped perfectly over her generous curves.

The tall, voluptuous beauty had caught his attention about two months ago – well, his and just about every other man in the building. She was new to the accounting department, and hard to miss. Since the first time he spotted her, Bobby made a point of periodically stopping by her desk with some lame excuse, just to make small talk. In all those visits, he still hadn't quite figured out if there was an attraction beyond physical. He'd thought tonight might give him a little more insight into just how well he wanted to get to know Gina. Unfortunately, a crowded social event didn't allow for that.

Bobby was the envy of most men there that evening, and yet he really wasn't enjoying himself. For some reason, he couldn't relax and get past the feeling that something was missing. It felt as if he'd forgotten his wallet, or maybe a phone call he was supposed to make. At one point, he'd actually gone to the coat check just to ensure that he had his keys.

_What was it that had him feeling so distracted?_

Here he was with a beautiful woman whose attention was solely focused on him. Numerous bars were set up throughout the ballroom, serving any variety of cocktail that could be imagined, and tempting hors d'oeuvres were discreetly offered among the guests. The live band was extremely talented, including an accomplished female lead who possessed an extraordinary vocal range.

And yet he still scanned the room, searching for something that should be there without knowing what it was he sought.

When his eyes spotted her across the room, that nagging feeling of something lost faded away. Bobby was surprised to realize what it was he missed.

Eames had just arrived with her date.

She immediately saw him and smiled. Raising her hand in a brief wave, Eames and whoever-he-was started weaving through the crowd toward him. He watched her approach.

Unlike Gina, she had opted for a cocktail-length dress, flattering for a woman of her petite size. Basic black and sleeveless, it dipped down to a modest vee in front, revealing the lovely lines of her collarbones without showing too much cleavage. Around her neck, she wore a simple diamond solitaire pendant – a jewel he knew was created from the rings that had once promised her a lifetime of love.

When she broke through the crowd to stand before him and Gina, he could see how her dress clung to her tapered waist and the flare of her hips before swirling out to a loose skirt that fluttered around her thighs and ended a few inches above her knees. Her shapely legs were exposed and lengthened by the three-inch spike heels she wore. He would have admired the fact that she could walk in them if he weren't so busy admiring what they did to the curve of her calves.

Next to Gina's blatantly sexual glamour, Alex looked elegant and delicately beautiful.

"Hi Bobby," she smiled at him.

"Hi yourself." _Smooth, Goren._

"This is Eric Geddes," she rested her hand on his arm. "Eric, this is my partner Bobby Goren."

They shook hands and exchanged whatever pleasantries were appropriate – Bobby really didn't care. He could already tell the guy was short-term.

"Gina," he draped his arm around her waist. "You probably know Alex Eames, my partner. And, uh…"

"Eric," short-term-guy prompted.

"Yeah, Eric…Geddes," Bobby finished the introduction.

"It's so nice to meet you both. I've seen you around, Alex, but we haven't actually met." Gina's voice was smooth, but her friendly tone sounded a bit false.

_Shit! Did I stare too long at Alex?_

Gina placed her hand on his chest and leaned into him. He felt her warm breath near his ear. "Would you excuse me? I'll be right back."

"Sure," he squeezed her waist before releasing her.

The band's current song was winding down and Bobby really didn't feel like making small talk with short-term-guy. "I seem to be temporarily abandoned," he turned to Eames. "Can you spare a dance for your partner?"

She hesitated then looked to what's-his-name before answering. "Sure," she softly replied.

When she turned to head toward the dance floor, Bobby's tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. The dress that appeared so modest from the front view, vee-d down the back from her shoulders to just below her waist. He'd never realized that an expanse of pale skin and the line of a spine could be so alluring.

Finding an open spot near the center of the floor, Alex turned to face him.

The slow heartbeat of a drum gave life to a ballad. Bobby placed his right hand at the small of her back, his palm rewarded with the patch of bare skin exposed at the vee of her dress. Alex's left hand rested on his shoulder and she raised her right for him to clasp in his own.

Even with her three-inch heels she was almost a foot shorter than him, and at least half his weight. Why did she fit so well?

_A mountain of stone, a door of steel  
Can't stand in my way, I'd go on  
Brutal machines, unbending laws  
Can't slow me down, I'd go on_

Bobby recognized the song. It was on a Celine Dion CD that had suddenly appeared in the SUV following their arrest of Donald DePalma. During that investigation, while waiting at a dance studio for the suspect, he and Eames had shared their first and only dance to another song on that CD, _'Seduces Me.' _Bobby vividly remembered that afternoon and those shared moments – how responsive she was to his every move, his lightest touch.

He also remembered her teasing caresses and his heated confusion. Her fingers had brushed the hair on his neck – her thumb traced a path along the sensitive skin behind his ear. Bobby's heart had raced. His body longed to respond. And he never understood what prompted her caresses.

_I've learned how to deal and when to fight  
I know what's real, I know what's right  
I'm not afraid, a wounded dove  
I can be tender in a world so tough_

Once again he marveled at how well they complemented one another – their bodies in tune and moving with an ease suggesting a physical knowledge that didn't exist. They meshed with a familiarity he knew was bred from their professional partnership, but seemed so much more intimate.

_I'm sure I could face the bitter cold  
But life without you, I don't know_

"So…" Alex tipped her head to look up at him. "Gina from accounting?"

He silently nodded.

"She's nice."

"Yes she is," he agreed tersely, hoping to end any further discussion.

"Eric was anxious to meet you…"

He increased the pressure at the small of her back, turned through a series of steps and brought her body close to his. Bobby felt her surprised breath warm against his cheek. Alex's eyes widened but her step never faltered.

"I didn't ask you to dance so we could discuss our dates," his voice was husky. "Just listen to the music," he whispered.

_The winds of the heart can blow me down  
But I get right up and I stand my ground  
I've tasted fear, my share of pain  
The wasted tears of love in vain  
I've held you tight, pushed you away  
Now with all my might I beg you to stay_

The last time they'd danced, Alex had told him she'd taken lessons as a teenager. They'd certainly paid off. She easily followed his lead, no matter how intricate the steps or how unexpected the turns, while holding a confidence all her own. He sensed that beneath her submission, he was in control only because she allowed it.

Bobby's hand at her waist set the distance between their bodies. He kept Alex close without touching, fighting the temptation to press her against his length. Heat mingled between them and as he guided her through the slow strains of the song, he was aware of her hot scent filling him. Spicy? Floral? Aroused? He couldn't tell – he only knew it was Alex. He moaned softly as he imagined his lips and tongue caressing the areas on her body where that scent would be strongest.

_I'm sure I could face the bitter cold  
But life without you, I don't know_

The already sensual beat of the music turned the corner to erotic, evoking visions of sinewy movements and hot breaths – whispered pleas and desperate hands. He stepped into her, his leg placed between hers and for a moment his thigh was temptingly close to heat. Alex gasped and the hand on his shoulder fisted the fabric of his jacket. There was an extra sway to her hips as she instinctively responded to the sexy wail of the saxophone and Bobby envisioned a more intimate reason for her movements.

_I know what I want, I know what I need  
But there's just one thing I must believe  
Deep in the night by a dying flame  
You will be there when I call your name_

He dipped his head, his lips almost but not quite grazing her temple. Bobby silently breathed the words, stirring soft tendrils of hair against her skin. She shivered and his own body responded with a familiar tightening in his groin.

_I'm sure I could face the bitter cold  
But life without you, I don't know_

The song was ending too soon and his need for her to know what he felt was urgent. Bobby placed her hand flat against his chest, above his heart. She kept her gaze fixed somewhere past his shoulder before her eyes fluttered closed and Alex's lips parted on a sigh.

Their dance ended along with the song. Neither moved as his ragged breaths mingled with hers, rapid and shallow. He knew she could feel his heart pounding beneath her palm. Alex looked up at him, eyes dark with desire and full of questions.

But he was helpless to answer. They were in the middle of a dance floor surrounded by co-workers and bosses – Bobby knew he had to let go of both her and the moment. With a deep, shaky sigh he released her and he saw his own disappointment reflected in her eyes. As his hand slid from her back, he managed a soft caress to the inviting skin before Alex turned from him to walk off the dance floor.

Following her, he saw Gina standing at the edge of the crowd. Judging by the look in her eyes, he was pretty sure this would be his one and only date with her.

He felt no loss. His memories of an intoxicating dance with Alex would more than compensate.

_End_

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A/N – The song is _'I Don't Know'_ from Celine Dion's CD, Falling Into You. I really would have liked to explore a different artist for this story because there is so much extraordinary music from which to choose. But once I read the lyrics for this song, it was too perfectly Bobby Goren.


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